KUSA-TV

About 9NEWS

In 1952, Harry Truman was in the last years of his presidency and the hot new thing in Denver was an exotic technology called television. On October 12th 1952 KBTV Channel 9 began broadcasting a mixture of ABC and CBS network programs as well as local news and other programming, the beginning of a legacy that continues well into a new century. When Channel 9 was born, only a few homes had TV sets, but that changed over time until virtually everyone had access to one.

After originally broadcasting from a temporary location, the station moved into its home at 1089 Bannock Street in Denver in 1953, where it stayed until moving to our current location at 500 Speer Blvd in 1992. After initially sharing programming from a variety of networks, Channel 9 became an ABC affiliate for more than 40 years until switching to our current NBC partnership in 1995. Channel 9's call letters changed from KBTV to KUSA in 1984. Max Goldberg is widely considered the "father" of Channel 9 for organizing the original group of investors and lobbying for an FCC license, the key ingredient for all radio and television broadcasters. In 1955, John Mullins bought the station, which he owned until his death in 1969. In 1971, a company called Combined Communications Corporation bought the station, making it part of a group that would eventually merge with Gannett, one of the largest media companies in the country. In 2015, Gannett spun its publishing properties from its broadcast and digital properties, making 9NEWS a part of TEGNA Media, which remains one of the country&'s largest, most geographically diverse broadcasters

In the beginning, Channel 9 was merely a single TV channel. Today, we broadcast programming on KUSA Channel 9 as well as KTVD Channel 20 (since 2006) and digital channels 9.2 (24 hour weather programming) and 20.2 (Me TV). In addition, 9NEWS is now very much 9news.com. Launched in the 1990s and now a vital news source for Coloradoans that updates news, weather and sports 24 hours a day. Our community efforts have defined 9NEWS for decades. Programs like the 9Health Fair, 9Cares Colorado Shares, 9Who Care and 9Teachers Who Care are all aimed at making our community better, stronger and healthier. The story of 9NEWS is an evolution of people and technology. Film to videotape. Black and white to color. Analog to digital. But one thing that hasn't changed since 1952 is our commitment to bring Colorado the best programming possible.

About TEGNA

KUSA/KTVD is owned and operated by TEGNA Inc., an innovative media company that serves the greater good of its communities. Across platforms, TEGNA delivers relevant and trusted content by telling empowering stories, conducting impactful investigations and providing innovative and unparalleled solutions for advertisers through TEGNA Marketing Solutions. For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com.

Mission and Coverage Priorities

MISSION

TEGNA’s purpose is to serve the greater good of our communities.
We will provide the news and information that people need to function as effective citizens.
We will seek solutions as well as expose problems and wrongdoing.
We will provide editorial and community leadership.
We will seek to promote understanding of complex issues.
We will be advocates for our communities.

DIVERSE VOICES

At TEGNA, you will find people from all backgrounds, interests and abilities, united by a common purpose to make a difference in our work, our company and our community.

We are committed to making editorial decisions with input from a variety of voices that reflect our community. We seek sufficient understanding of the communities, individuals and stories we cover to inform the public. We are persistent in pursuit of the whole story.

DIVERSITY STAFFING REPORT

At TEGNA, we believe that attracting a talented and diverse workforce is one of the keys to our success. We strive to create for our employees an environment which offers professional and intellectual challenges, which encourages innovation and creativity, and which rewards success and effective teamwork. Read our latest EEO Diversity Report.

Ethics, Standards and Practices

ETHICS

TEGNA is committed to the highest ethical standards and dedicated to the principles of truth, independence, fair play and integrity. These principles apply to everything we do, from gathering content to reporting and producing content. Read TEGNA’s Principles of Ethical Journalism.

TEGNA journalists observe the following principles:

INDEPENDENCE

We will remain free of outside interests, investments, business relationships or personal relationships that may compromise the credibility of our news reports.
We will seek to avoid potential conflicts of interest and promptly disclose any that arise.
We do not accept gifts, meals or entertainment from any individuals or organizations that may be covered by our stations.
We do not allow sponsors of news to determine, change or restrict content.
We do not make political contributions, participate in political advocacy or publicly share political views.

TRANSPARENCY

We are transparent about paid or sponsored content.
We clearly identify and differentiate commentary from news.
We will explain our journalistic processes to our audience.

PUBLIC INTEREST

We will uphold and defend the First Amendment.
We will be vigilant watchdogs of government and institutions that affect the public.
We will fight to insure the public’s business is conducted in public.

FAIRNESS

We will treat people with dignity, respect and compassion.
We will be fair with people unaccustomed to dealing with the media. (*)
We will seek all sides relevant to a story.
(Also diverse voices)

INTEGRITY

We will act honorably, transparently and ethically in dealing with news sources, the public and our colleagues.
We will obey the law.
We will not skew facts, distort reality or sensationalize events (ETHICS).
We will not manipulate images or sound in misleading ways.
We will not present images that are reenacted without informing the audience.
We will use hidden cameras or similar techniques only if there is no other way to tell a significant story effectively, and only with news management approval.
We will respect the copyrights of others.

VERIFICATION & FACT-CHECKING

We report the news accurately, thoroughly and in context on all platforms. We vet sources, verify facts and challenge assumptions before reporting news. We hold factual information on all platforms to the same standards of accuracy.
We are honest. We do not mislead sources, story subjects or the public.
We attribute information received from others, and we are transparent with sourcing. We do not plagiarize.
We do not misstate our identity or intentions. We keep our word.
We do not intentionally slant the news.
We value being right over being fast.

UNNAMED SOURCES

We will use unnamed sources as the sole basis for reporting only as a last resort when it best serves the public’s right to know, and only with prior news management approval.

CORRECTIONS

We will make corrections promptly and proportionate to the original reporting.

CONTACT US

MASTHEAD/EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP

Click here to meet our Editorial Leadership team

ACTIONABLE FEEDBACK

We value feedback from our community, including story ideas as well as comments and corrections on our coverage. Click on the appropriate link below to route your feedback to the correct team in our newsroom.

Contact Information

NEWSROOM CONTACT INFORMATION

Connect/Contact

Trust Project Participation

TEGNA is proud to be a participant in the Trust Project. The Trust Project is an international consortium of news organizations collaborating to use transparency to build a more trustworthy and trusted press. For more information visit https://thetrustproject.org/.

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